Coin controlled self service device



H. s. wlLvsoN E1- Al. COINVCONTROLLED SELF SERVICE DEVIICE Filed March 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORY i Sept. l, 1936.

H, s. wlLsoN 15.-:- AL

COIN SELF SERVICE DEVICE -Filad March 18, 1936 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1, 1936 com coN'rEoLLEn sELE SERVICE DEVICE V.Henry S. Wilson, Brooklyn, and Henry Lauten,

' New York, N. Y.

Application March 18, 1936, Serial No. 69,472

u9 Claims. (01494-65) ,'This invention relates tonew and useful improvements in a coin controlled self-service dev1ce. Y The invention has for an object the construc- V tion of a device as mentioned which is characterized by a tubular body, a front and a rear door hingedly mounted on the ends of said tubular body, and -a novel method for controlling the opening of these doors and the serving of food from the tubular body.

More particularly,A the invention contemplates the provision of a serving plate slidably mounted on the oor of the tubular body and arranged g A to `extend forwards when the front door is open. Still further vthe invention contemplates the provision of a novel linkage system between the serving plate and the doors-which causes these parts to act in unison.-

Still further the invention proposes the provision ofa latch for holding the serving plate in a rearward position and thushold the front door closed, and vreleasable by a coin operated mechanism.

VStill further `the invention proposes a mechanisrn for controlling the entrance of heat to said tubular member so'that hot dishes may be served. Another object of the invention is the construction ofja device as mentioned which is simpleand. durable and which may be manufactured and sold 30 atV areasonable'cost.V

For furthercomprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will'gbe had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended d5 claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth. In the accompanying vdrawings forming a material part of this disclosure-.- l

' Fig.'1is a perspective view of a coin controlled self-service device constructed according to this invention. v

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective Vviexzv of the serving plate 45 perse. v A

Fig. 4 is av horizontallsectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 6. l v

Fig. 5 is Va transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4. o Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View taken onthe line G-g-B-.of Fig. 4. Y Y Y Fig.-7 `is afragmentary sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Fig.,8 is a side elevational view looking in the direction of the line B-of Fig. 4. .Y .-l

Fig. 9 isa view similar to Fig. 8 butillustrating a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary front elevational'view of a plurality of coin controlled self-service del A front door II is hingedly mounted upon the l front end of the tubular body and is adapted t0 close this end. A rear door I2 is hingedly mounted on the rear end of the tubular body and serves to close this end. Each of these doors has a horizontal trunnion I3 near the top portion thereof by which the door is hingedly mounted. In Fig. 6 l

thedot and dash lines indicate'the open positions of the doors. v

A serving plate I is slidably mounted upon the i'loor of the tubular member IG. This serving plate is connected by a linkage system with the front door. The linkage system comprises a pair of links I5 and I6 pivotally mounted at their rear ends upon brackets I'I attachecl'on the serving plate I4. At the front ends thelinks I5 and I6 have projecting pins I8 engaging into sockets in the sides of the doors (see Fig. 7) l V'I'he arrangement is such that when the door I Iris hinged open the links I5 and IS pull the serving plate I4 forwards and extend it, as indicated by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 6.

A link structure is also provided which serves to connect the serving plate and the rear door lfor moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door when the rear door is open. This link structure consists of a linkwhich is pivotally mounted at its front end on one of the ybrackets I'l and which extends through a slot 2l in the rear door I2.' This slot is equipped VWith va small transverse pin 22. The outer `end of the link 26 is formed with a hook shaped cutout 23 adapted to be engaged by the pin 22. The arrangement is such that the door I2 may be forced open, and Vduring this action, the bottom ledge of the linkemerely rests against the pin 22. When the door has been opened a sufficient amount so that the pin 22A engages in the cutout 23, upon further opening of the door I2 the slide I4 will be pulled rearward, and in turn the links I5 and I6 will pull the front door II closed.,

The front door II is provided with a handle 24 end 30 of a lever 30 which is pivotally supported' intermediate of its ends by a trunnion 3l. This lever extends through an opening732 lin the side wall of the tubular member I6; A weight 33 is attached upon the inner end 39 of the lever and serves to normally urgeV the lever into its latch-1" ing position.Y The side wall of the'tubular mem- -V ber I6 is formed with a slot 35 into which the projection 26 engages. The ends of this slot limit the amount to which the serving platemay be extended or retracted.

The outer end of the lever36 is provided with a headpiece 36 which is located immediately below the exit end of a coin slot 31. slot is arranged in a bar38 supported by several brackets on the sidel of the tubular member o I6, The bar 38 is disposed at aninclination, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, so that a lcoin may roll down. The front end of the bar connects with a coin opening 39 (see Fig. l). The bar` has the coin slot 31 cut into the v4top edge thereof `and extending to the discharging point 31. The sides of the bar 38 are formed with cutouts 40 so that a smaller sized coin cannot possibly reach the coin discharge 31. For example, if the coin device is designed to take a five cent piece, ifa ten cent piece is placed into-the opening 39 Yit cannot possibly roll down the bar 36 and reach the dischargeV 31 since before it'reaches this point it will fall either towards one side or the other, out through the opening 46. The right sized coin is large enough to be supported by the material at the top of the opening. vWhen the smaller sized coin falls from the bar 38 it will drop into achute 4I which is designed to receive it. o This chute is inclined and discharges into a return coinelementr42rarranged below the com opening 39. v. In this manner a persons coin is returned. o v

`In they eventv that the coin is of the .proper ksize it will reach the discharge opening 31 and rest against the head 36 of the pivotedlever 30. AA shaft 43 is rotatively supported by several bear-v ings on the side of the tubular body I6 and has avhandle 4t'.v provided at one end. This handle is disposed immediately adjacentthe `coin slot 39 and outside of a small partition 45 attached on the side of the tubular vbody Il). A carn46. is

- attached on the shaft 43 .and is ldisposedimmediately over the discharge 31garndiscapvable of forcing the coin downwards so as to press the lever 36. A radial arm 41 is attached to the shaft 43 and is connected with thespring 48 which is attached to the sides of the tubular body Ill. This spring normally returns the shaft 43 to its original position. kAfter a coin has been deposited the handle 44 must be manuallyA turned to depress the coin and pivot the lever 36. f rIfhe dot and dash lines inFigf5 fshow the lowered position of thecam 46 and the pivoted vposition of the ylever 36. l o Y AV means is provided for movingthe serving plateY I4'slightly forwards so vas to prevent the end 36' of the lever from rel-locking the serving plate, except if theserving plate is retracted. This resilient means comprises a spring 56 which acts between the tubularbodyrlland a block 5I on the serving vplate I4. A linky 52 ispivotally 4connected with the block 5l andis adapted to strike the'operating lever 53' of acounter 53 This coin f v2,052,685 g 1 f.

which is mounted on the backV of the tubular` body I6. This counter is adapted tocount the number of times that the serving plate I4 is released by the insertion of 4a coin. Y i

When the cam 46 reaches the lower position, Y vthe coin Ywill fall out and discharge into the trough 55 which is disposed behind the inclined chute 4I. Y the device the desired.`v` W Y A provision is made for controlling the encoin may be removed whenever "trance of heat to the tubular body. This provision consists of several openings 56 formed inthe vserving plate I4 and alignable in the normally retracted position of the serving plate with corof the tubular member IIJ.y These openings 51 are controlled by1 a damper plate 58. VThis which may be completely or partially aligned withfthe openings 51 by the.r properA shifting of the plate, possible by moving, the handle 60. Y

A mechanism` is yalso provided forvpreventinga coin from beingv inserted Vintorythek coin slot 39 when the doors areopen. sists of a finger superimposed above the coin slot 31 behind the coin openingu39, and fixed upon a spindleul which extends through the side wall of the tubular bodyv I0. Upon the inner end of this spindle 8l there is a depending arm 82 which extends downwards and has acurved bottom end 82'. This arm is in the path of motion of a cam 83 which projects from the serving plate i4. When-the serving plate` I4 Vis even only slightly moved forward the v cam 83 willhave engaged beneath the arm 82 and pivotedthe arm so that the v*finger Silis turnedrinto the coin s1o t .31. lI hus, the nger willprevent amcoin from being fully engaged intothe coin opening 39.

In Fig. 9 a modied form of the inventionis disclosedwhich is substantially identical tothe previous form,'except as to the coin device. 1 According. to this form, tl'ler'eis` a pivotally mounted handle 44 whichrextendsthrough an opening in th'e'partition .45. 'This handle 44' is pivotedat the point 44'a andy isnormally Vurged into a neutral position by aspring a62. The `rear end ofthe handle is .adapted to engage one end of the lever I5.' f,.whichisr pivoted at.64f'so'thatthe'other'end of the lever engages al plunger 65. This plungerfis slidably supported rin aostandard 66 and is held in arais'ed'positionby a spring 61.' When the outer end of the handle .4'4' is'fde'pres'sed the inner end is raised, .which will pivot the bares, which vcauses the' 'plunger 65 to move downwards. This plungeris adapted to force a coin which is resting upon the lie'a'.d'3l` of the lever 30 downwards, and so operate the device."

In Figs.y 10-712 inclusive another form' of the inventionv is "disclosedfdn which the heat is adapted to' enter through the side ofY the vtubularl body instead of through the bottom. With this arrangement the service devices `rnayrbebuilt one above V the other. In Fig. 10 a plurality-'of service devicesY are shown in 'theirstacke'd positions. In each of these devices'thereis` a double sidewall 10 forming an interiorA passage 1I. This passage is connectible to the interior of the tubular body by a controlI damper 12.1 Thisdamper has an extended end 12a. It is also formed with' a plu# ralityof openings`12b. which are adapted to align partially or fully with' similar'openings 13 in the As this troughopens at the Yback of "responding openings 51 formed in the iioor wall y This Vmecloanllsrn coninner wall of said damper wall. A pin 14 is utilized to pivotally support the damper plate 12. Hot air may be supplied to the compartments 'H and the dampers used to control the amountl of the hot air which reaches the interior of the various tubular bodies.

The operation of the device is as follows:- When a coin of the correct size is deposited in the slot 39 it will rollldown the groove 31' in the top edge of the bar 38 and drop into the groove opening 3l. The handle 54 in the form of the invention shown in Figs. l-8, or the handleV lill in the form of the invention shown inFig. 9, is operated to cause the coin to be pressed downwards. This will pivot the lever 30 which lthen moves so that its inner end 3S' moves upwards and out of contact with the projections 25 of the serving plate i4. The serving plate is then moved slightly forwards by the spring 50. Then, at ones leisure the front door Il may be hinged open. As the door ll is moved upwards the serving plate i4 will move forwards to the dot and dash position shown in Fig. 6. It is thus convenient to extract the food or other material thereon.

When the rear door I2 is open the pin 22 will engage the openings 23 of the link 25 and ,move the serving plate I4 rearwards. This causes the front door to close. It also permits the lever 3!) to pivot back to its original position so that the end 30 engages the projection 25 and the front door is now locked.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:-

l. A self-service device, comprising a tubular body, a front and rear door hingedly mounted on the ends of said tubular body for closing the same, a serving vplate slidably mounted on the fioor of said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door for moving said plate forwards when the door is opened, a link structure connecting said serving plate and rear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door when the rear door is opened, a latch holding said plate in a rearward position, and a coin controlled means adapted to release said latch to allow said front door to be opened.

2. A self-service device, comprising a tubular body, a front and rear door hingedly mounted on the ends of said tubular body for closing the same, a serving plate slidably mounted on the floor of said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door for moving said plate forwards when the door is opened, a link structure connecting said serving plate and rear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door when the rear door is opened, and a latch holding said plate in a rearward position,

.a coin controlled means adapted to release said latch to allo-w said front door to be opened, said links being pivotally connected at one of their ends with the serving plate, and at their other ends with said front door.

3. A self-service device, comprising a tubular body, a front and rear door hingedly mounted on the ends of said tubular body for closing the same, a Aserving plate slidably mounted on the floor of said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door for moving said plate forwards when the door is opened, a link structure connecting said serving plate and rear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door when the rear door is opened, and a latch holding said plate in a rearward position, a coin controlled means adapted to release said latch to allow said front door to be opened, said link structure being pivotally connected with said serving plate and engaging through an opening in said rear door. i

4. A self-service device, comprising a tubular body, Va front and rear door hingedly mounted on' the ends of said tubular body for closing the same; a serving plate slidably mounted on the floor o f said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door `for moving said plate forwards when the door is opened, a link struc-v ture connecting said serving plate and rear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door when the rear door is opened, and a latch holding said plate in a rearward position, a coin controlled means adapted to release said latch to allow said front door to be opened, said link structure being pivotally connected with said serving plate and engaging through an opening in said rear door, a pin within said opening and adapted to support the link along its bottom edge,

said link being formed with a cutout near its outer end into which the pin may engage for moving the link as the rear door is fully opened.

5. A self-service device, comprising a tubular body, a front and rear door hingedly mounted on the ends of said tubular body for closing the same, a serving plate slidably mounted on the `floor of said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door for moving said plate forwards when the door is opened, a link structure connecting said serving plate and rear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door when the rear door is opened, and a latch holding said plate in a rearward position, a coin controlled means adapted to release said latch to allow said front door to be opened, comprising a pivotally mounted lever the inner end of which is adapted to engage in front of a projection on the side of said serving plate.

6. A self-service device, comprising a tubular body, a front and rear door hingedly mounted on the ends of said tubular body for closing the same, a serving plate slidably mounted on the floor of said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door for moving said plate forwards when the door is opened, a link structure connecting said serving plate and rear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door when the rear door is opened, a latch holding said plate in a rearward position, and a coin control device for opening said latch.

7. A self-service device, comprising a tubular body, a front and rear door hingedly mounted on the ends of said tubular body for closing the same, a serving plate slidably mounted on the floor cf said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door for moving said plate forwards when the door is opened, a link structure connecting said serving plate and rear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door when the rear door is opened, a latch holding said plate in a rearward position, and a coin control device for opening said latch, comprising a grooved bar aligned with a coin opening and arranged at an inclination, and a manually operative element for pressingva coin from said coin device downwards to releasesaid latch.

8. A self-service device, comprising a tubular body, a front and rear door hingedly mounted on the ends of said tubular body forclosing the same, a serving plate slidably mounted on the-floor of said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door for moving said plate forward when the front door is opened, aj-link structureconnecting said serving plate and yrear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front door Whenthe rear door is opened, a latch vfor holding said plate in a rearward position, aY coin controlled devicefor opening said latch, and a means vfor slightly ejecting said servingplate soas to prevent said latch from relocking the serving plate before the food has been removed. l

9. A self-service device, ycomprising a Vtubular body, a front and rear door hingedly mounted on thev ends of said tubular body for closing Ythe same, a serving plateuslidably mounted on theroor of said tubular body, links connecting said serving plate and said front door for Vmoving said plate forward when the front door is opened, a link ,K

structure connecting said serving plate and rear door for moving the plate rearwards and closing the front `door when the rear door is opened, a latch for holding said plate in rearward'position, acoin controlled `device for'opening said latch, and a means for slightly ejecting said serving plate so as to prevent said latch from. re-locking 

